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Sculpt new mail
http://ww.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=20473
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Author:  dave85uk [ Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Sculpt new mail

I know this is already in my WIP, but then realised that its probabily best to post here - i'm after grabbing the attention of those not following my WIP ;)

a question...

I'm not a keen fan on the skirt mail of the galadhrim warriors (that look smore like scale armour)... should i carve off the 'scale armour' type mail off the Galadhrim and replace with GS sculpted mail that looks like the haldir elves 'proper' mail? I've left images for reference (painted by GW).

Galadhrim warriors the mail is circled

Image

Haldir elves, I want my galadhrim mail to look like the circled Haldir mail

Image

Author:  Beowulf03809 [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sculpt new mail

I agree that the mail on the original metals is much nicer...I only have about 9 of those and wish it was a few times that. :-( I'm just using them in my Command Company since those are the last models to die and really get much of the attention visually.

That being said, making the new mail at that scale isn't going to be as difficult, I think, as it will be making a smooth surface to do it on. With the relatively small area and all the other details around that you don't want to damage, it may not be worth it from a prep-work perspective alone. Maybe do one and see how long it takes. If this was SBG I'd be more encouraging for you to dive into the project as you may be dealing with only a couple boxes of models, but for a WotR army this could go up by several times the number. Though laying down the GS, pinning out the mail pattern, adding some trim then doing some light sanding when it's dry may only be 5 minutes or so per model, that's going to add about 2.5 - 3 hours of work to a basic 4-company Formation. If you work something out with a power tool that lets you clean that scale armor down smooth in a couple minutes per model then that's not too bad, but if you have to do it by hand and are looking at another 5-10 minutes each you may never see the end (yeah, like any of us are ever going to see the end of painting our collection as is).

I have done some mail armor work at various scales with GS and, though it's still not great, I'm getting better with each attempt and I think the change can look very nice. Really make the model stand out from the crowd if it's a whole new armor. Your change is more subtle but still a valid attempt. At least give it a whirl and see how long it takes and what it looks like at the end.

Author:  Noddwyr [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:09 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sculpt new mail

What Beowulf said. See how long it takes. Just sand down the original, lay down some putty and then pin in the chain mail. I find chain mail to be a pain to do and make it look right but if you are gonna do this on a lot of minis you will get the hang of it pretty fast.

Author:  theOneRider [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 6:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sculpt new mail

Beowulf03809 wrote:
making the new mail at that scale isn't going to be as difficult, I think, as it will be making a smooth surface to do it on.
Actually, that's pretty easy, too. All you need is an X-acto knife with the really pointy blade.
example
You use that to dig in just a little around the "plate" edges and the cape, and then you can use that deepened edge as a stop for just shaving the scale armor away. It just takes a little care with the first few until your hand gets used to the idea. Plus, that can help you rough up the main surface a little so the GS will stick on better. 8)

Author:  Beowulf03809 [ Fri Mar 25, 2011 7:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sculpt new mail

I'm very familiar with that weapon (xacto) as it has spilled my blood many times over the last 30+ years. I keep thinking I've given enough sacrifice yet it keeps wanting more ( "Blood and Souls!" to quote another favorite of mine).

As you say though, a rough surface isn't really a bad idea when you are laying down GS so maybe I was thinking too much time would be needed on the initial clean up. You just want to take down enough of the original armor to let the new mail sit at a reasonable thickness. I was considering time to get it actually clean and smooth.

I definitely look forward to some WiP and time info when you get around to them.

Author:  theOneRider [ Sat Mar 26, 2011 9:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Sculpt new mail

Weapon is a good choice of words. I discovered (thanks to constant use of this Serpent Sword) that superglue is actually the best band-aid for some types of cuts. You do want to be careful when using one, because the edges of the wound if you aren't can be too sheer to grow together again easily.
I look forward to seeing the results in your (Dave85UK's) WIP as well.

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